Author: France 24

In an interview with FRANCE 24, Ami Ayalon, former head of Israel’s domestic intelligence agency Shin Bet, warned that Israel is “heading to apartheid” unless it divides the land with the Palestinians. He argued that “there is a limit to what we can achieve by the use of military power” in Iran and that without “an agreement with the Palestinian people”, there can be no stability in the Middle East.

Antoine Griezmann hopes to bid his beloved Atletico Madrid farewell in spectacular fashion after helping his team reach the first Champions League semi-finals in almost a decade. The record-breaking scorer is leaving the Spanish club at the end of this season to join Orlando City.

Amid uncertainty around the war in Iran, the International Monetary Fund downgraded its outlook for the global economy under three different scenarios depending on how long the conflict would last.  Meanwhile, the United Nations Development Programme is warning that even if hostilities were to end today, the war could push more than 32 million people around the world into poverty by a ‘triple shock’ of energy disruption, food price increases and weaker economic growth.  

An exhibition venue, event space and meeting point for Afro-descendant cultures in all their diversity: its founders call MansA an open house, where a world of art and artists are welcome. As the centre launches a bilingual magazine, we hear from its editor Sebastien Thème on celebrating Black excellence, on the French legislation being debated that should eventually see thousands of looted treasures returned to their countries of origin, and on the cultural figures continuing the work of intellectuals like civil rights activist Angela Davis.

After a month and a half spent living under the threat of drones, residents of Iraqi Kurdistan are exhausted. Just 24 hours before the ceasefire, a civilian was killed in a drone attack blamed on Iran by Kurdish authorities. In total, around 700 drone and missile attacks have targeted US positions and certain Kurdish interests. Victims’ loved ones are devastated by the war between Iran and the United States, of which they are the indirect victims. FRANCE 24’s Marie-Charlotte Roupie reports, with Josh Vardey.

The Parisians head to Anfield for the second leg of their Champions League quarter-final against Liverpool. After a 2–0 first-leg win, the Paris club arrive with a strong advantage and are targeting a place in the Champions League semi-finals.

The Iran war has exposed vulnerabilities of countries reliant on Middle Eastern fossil fuels. Ramon Mendez, former Uruguayan Energy Secretary and President of REN21, tells France 24 that a drastic shift to renewable energy is possible with the right strategy in place, and other nations can follow Uruguay’s footsteps – the South American country now gets 98% of its electricity grid from low-carbon sources. 

On today’s Arts24 Music Show, Jennifer Ben Brahim speaks with Ulysse Cottin, one half of French indie duo Papooz. The band is celebrating ten years of music with a new album, “Papooz and Friends” – a sunny journey featuring some of their favourite collaborators. We also hear from British multi-hyphenate Wesley Joseph, who has just released his much-anticipated debut album, “Forever Ends Someday”. The record is steeped in nostalgia, with much of it written in his childhood home of Walsall, in the West Midlands.

​A Paris court ​on Monday found cement maker Lafarge, now owned by Switzerland’s Holcim, guilty ​of ‌paying the Islamic State group and other jihadists to ⁠keep a plant operating in northern Syria ​during the country’s ‌civil war. The company’s former CEO was sentenced to six years’ prison. 

The election in Hungary had the highest turnout since the fall of Communism. Following Péter Magyar’s landslide victory, FRANCE 24’s Eve Irvine is pleased to welcome Bálint Magyar, Author, Hungary’s former Minister of Education and one of the founding members of the Alliance of Free Democrats. According to Magyar, this election marks the “third regime change” since 1989-90, which will involve transforming it from a “mafia state” back into a liberal democracy. “Therefore, there are three pillars of this latest regime change,” he explains. “One is the restitution of the constitutional state. The second is abolishing the state criminal organization…